Battle of the mind.

[Blik]

The mind is a sneaky thing, and it even has a subconscious mind. We can get a sinful habit of thinking that is always there, but we are unaware of. It is a good thing to listen to those tapes that run constantly in our head. The Lord told us what we are to think of in Phil 4:8.

I had an almost disastrous time with my mind. In my childhood I twice lost my family. First when my mother got sick and couldn't take care of me, but I was too young to understand, and then after years with my new family I was taken back to my mother. My reaction was that I was so terrible a person that I had to be gotten rid of. It was a thought that colored everything I did, and was part of my subconscious. When I became aware of it I watched for my reactions. One day rain ruined our plans for the day, and I found myself wondering what I did wrong to cause it to rain. It took months of simply memorizing scripture to change. My bible was propped up beside me as I worked, even.

A mind trap it is so east to fall into, also, is that old "ain't it AWFUL". We are to be content and never allow the hurts we receive to overwhelm us. The Lord gives us freedom to choose our own way, we are to give others that freedom even though we wish them to do what is more pleasing to us. Thoughts of judging can be a real trap.

 

[Deuteronomy]

I don't know about you but I personally struggle with guilt and bad thoughts on a daily basis. It has always controlled how much peace I obtain in my life. But I didn't realize how much our thoughts have power over us. A single lie we believe can birth sin in our lives. If the enemy can just make us agree with that one single thought he put in our mind. Then he has his foot in the door to Minipulate and tempt us further. Now this is only my thoughts. But I can even relate it to my own mind. Like I sin as a Christian and I make mistakes but why would I beat myself over one sin and not all of them.?? Why only the one i feel most guilt for??? Why? I am beginning to believe I am believing a lie. The enemy tells me that "oh wow want Believe you would think or do that. When in reality all sin is sin in God's eyes. But where there is repentance there is forgiveness. But I think if we really begin to understand our thoughts and how they attack and condemn us. We can start understanding how the enemy works to set us up for further failure. (Yup can't sleep. You get stuck in my head a little bit.)

Hello Hallz, along with our continual growth in the knowledge and understanding of God's word (which is the principle means of our sanctification .. e.g. John 17:17; Romans 12:2, as well the principle means by which we battle against our common enemy's flaming arrows/lies & 1/2 truths .. e.g. Ephesians 6:10-17; 2 Corinthians 10:5; James 4:7), I found a little book by C. S. Lewis to be very helpful with recognizing the enemy's attacks for what they truly are, and doing so far more quickly. This book, The Screwtape Letters, is actually a collection of short, fictional stories that Lewis read on the radio (back in the 1940's, if memory serves).

He wrote this book from the POV of the demons as a way of giving us a firsthand (so to speak) look into how they think and why they do what they do to us. So in this book, when you see the word "Enemy", it's always in reference to God (since the conversations are all demon to demon).

If you'd care to check it out, you can read it online for free here: https://novel12.com/242829/the-screwtape-letters.htm

Or if you'd like to buy the book, I'd recommend the 50th Anniversary Annotated edition (because of all the helpful extras that are included with it, both from and about Lewis, and about the book itself): https://www.amazon.com/Screwtape-Letters-Annotated-C-Lewis-ebook/dp/B00CD36FH4

On top of all that, it is both a Christian classic and a great read (as most of Lewis' books are ).

God bless you!

~Deut
p.s. - just FYI, what helped me more than anything else with my horrible/painful "thought-life" when I was a younger Christian was filling my mind with God's word by memorizing it (specific/topical verses and passages, that is). I left behind a fun, but very sinful life when I became a Christian at age 30, but a lot of the stale, stinky mental garbage from my former life decided to come along with me Then I heard Pastor Chuck Swindoll on Christian radio, and he talked about memorizing God's word as the best way to keep it on the "front burner" of my mind, morning, afternoon and night and, at the same time, to push the stinky mental garbage that was left up there to the "back burner", and eventually, out of my mind altogether, never to return (and 30 years later I am happy to be able to report that it worked far better than I had hoped or could have even imagined that it would ).

PM me if you'd like to try memorizing Scripture as I'd be happy to help you get started (I use the Navigator's Topical Memory System, which is now available as an Apple or an Android app, just FYI).

 

[EternalFire]

I was reading some interesting articles on the mind. From a Christian man. It was encouraging to say the least. I don't know about you but I personally struggle with guilt and bad thoughts on a daily basis. It has always controlled how much peace I obtain in my life. But I didn't realize how much our thoughts have power over us. A single lie we believe can birth sin in our lives. If the enemy can just make us agree with that one single thought he put in our mind. Then he has his foot in the door to Minipulate and tempt us further. Now this is only my thoughts. But I can even relate it to my own mind. Like I sin as a Christian and I make mistakes but why would I beat myself over one sin and not all of them.?? Why only the one i feel most guilt for??? Why? I am beginning to believe I am believing a lie. The enemy tells me that "oh wow want Believe you would think or do that. When in reality all sin is sin in God's eyes. But where there is repentance there is forgiveness. But I think if we really begin to understand our thoughts and how they attack and condemn us. We can start understanding how the enemy works to set us up for further failure. (Yup can't sleep. You get stuck in my head a little bit.)

I encourage you to rethink the idea of Christians sinning. Brother Kel makes a powerful statement in this video: "We can't be sinning and expect to inherit the Kingdom of God." I have provided a partial transcript below the video for you to study.

(0:01) Jesus’ kingdom is not of this world. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He seated Jesus down at His right hand on His throne. And Jesus came into his kingdom. God gave him all authority in heaven and upon the earth. When we’re born again, we’re born again into the Kingdom of God. And that means we’re submitting to God’s reign. And God has put Jesus in charge, sitting him down at His right hand: Jesus is Lord! And to be born again means we become a member of the Kingdom, and we submit to the Lord of that Kingdom. And that Lord is Jesus, and his Kingdom is not of this world.

(0:52) In the Kingdom of God, um, we should not to think that sinning is a normal part of walking in the Kingdom of God. If you just stop and think about it, um, to say, you know, there are sinners running around the Kingdom of God is a bit crazy. But there are many people out there who think that, you know, they’re born again and sinning is a normal part of life for them. They might not sin as much as they did before, you know, an idea like that. But they still sin. They still refer to themselves as sinners, and at the same time they believe they’re citizens of the Kingdom. There’s something wrong with that kind of thinkin’, isn’t there?

(1:44) At the, at the present time, um, we’re heirs of the Kingdom of God, and it’s for that reason that we submit to the Lord of that Kingdom: Jesus. And, when he comes again, we’ll, we, we will inherit that Kingdom, if indeed we’re faithful. But if we sin, that’s not going to happen. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” The unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Well, what is the unrighteous? “Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor ho…, nor homosexuals, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, or revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God.” It’s a matter of what you’re doing. If you’re committing sin, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Because if you’re committing sin, you’re unrighteous, and the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God. And you have to remember what John said—1 John 3:7: “Little children, do not be deceived. He who does what is righteous is righteous, just as He is righteous.” Read that one over.

(3:09) “The works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like, I warn you as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” And that’s Paul speaking to the Galatians, who he says had began in the Spirit but were ending in the flesh. That’s why he’s bringing this up. The works of the flesh are plain. They had began in the Spirit. Um, the other one I just read, too, from 1 Corinthians, he’s writing to the Corinthian Christians. And he’s warning them. “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” “He who does what is righteous is righteous, just as He is righteous.”

(4:13) And he says to the Ephesians—the Ephesian Christians: “Be sure of this that no fornicator or impure man, or one who is covetous, covetous—that is an idolater—has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Those who disobey God by sinning.

(4:50) We can’t be sinning and expect to inherit the Kingdom of God. That’s what all these words are about. “Strive for peace with all men and for holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God. That no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble and by it the many become defiled. Let no one be immoral or godless like Esau who sold his birthright—his inheritance—for a single meal. For you know that afterward when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” It was too late. It was too late.

 

[Robo36]

I was reading some interesting articles on the mind. From a Christian man. It was encouraging to say the least. I don't know about you but I personally struggle with guilt and bad thoughts on a daily basis. It has always controlled how much peace I obtain in my life. But I didn't realize how much our thoughts have power over us. A single lie we believe can birth sin in our lives. If the enemy can just make us agree with that one single thought he put in our mind. Then he has his foot in the door to Minipulate and tempt us further. Now this is only my thoughts. But I can even relate it to my own mind. Like I sin as a Christian and I make mistakes but why would I beat myself over one sin and not all of them.?? Why only the one i feel most guilt for??? Why? I am beginning to believe I am believing a lie. The enemy tells me that "oh wow want Believe you would think or do that. When in reality all sin is sin in God's eyes. But where there is repentance there is forgiveness. But I think if we really begin to understand our thoughts and how they attack and condemn us. We can start understanding how the enemy works to set us up for further failure. (Yup can't sleep. You get stuck in my head a little bit.)

You're not alone, you could have written that about me. I fight the demons every day. I fight my guilt and cowardice and foolishness. I always have to remember what Christ said to Satan, "Get thee behind me Satan." I have to put my doubts, questions and guilt behind me and thank my Lord Jesus for his grace and forgiveness and even more his every blessing, most especially his magnificent sacrifice for me on the cross.

My only advise is hang tough and trust the Lord Jesus and always remember he's our only hope.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

I was reading some interesting articles on the mind. From a Christian man. It was encouraging to say the least. I don't know about you but I personally struggle with guilt and bad thoughts on a daily basis. It has always controlled how much peace I obtain in my life. But I didn't realize how much our thoughts have power over us. A single lie we believe can birth sin in our lives. If the enemy can just make us agree with that one single thought he put in our mind. Then he has his foot in the door to Minipulate and tempt us further. Now this is only my thoughts. But I can even relate it to my own mind. Like I sin as a Christian and I make mistakes but why would I beat myself over one sin and not all of them.?? Why only the one i feel most guilt for??? Why? I am beginning to believe I am believing a lie. The enemy tells me that "oh wow want Believe you would think or do that. When in reality all sin is sin in God's eyes. But where there is repentance there is forgiveness. But I think if we really begin to understand our thoughts and how they attack and condemn us. We can start understanding how the enemy works to set us up for further failure. (Yup can't sleep. You get stuck in my head a little bit.)

amen the key is where forgiveness is there is repentance and repentance is always standing beside forgiveness

it’s when we sin and pretend it’s not sin that gets us in trouble because we don’t repent of something we don’t acknowledge is wrong

Really good read thanks for posting

 

[Rondonmon]

I was reading some interesting articles on the mind. From a Christian man. It was encouraging to say the least. I don't know about you but I personally struggle with guilt and bad thoughts on a daily basis. It has always controlled how much peace I obtain in my life. But I didn't realize how much our thoughts have power over us. A single lie we believe can birth sin in our lives. If the enemy can just make us agree with that one single thought he put in our mind. Then he has his foot in the door to Minipulate and tempt us further. Now this is only my thoughts. But I can even relate it to my own mind. Like I sin as a Christian and I make mistakes but why would I beat myself over one sin and not all of them.?? Why only the one i feel most guilt for??? Why? I am beginning to believe I am believing a lie. The enemy tells me that "oh wow want Believe you would think or do that. When in reality all sin is sin in God's eyes. But where there is repentance there is forgiveness. But I think if we really begin to understand our thoughts and how they attack and condemn us. We can start understanding how the enemy works to set us up for further failure. (Yup can't sleep. You get stuck in my head a little bit.)

One verse goes kinda like this, "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind". It is a process, we living in Sin Flesh can never attain perfectness, but if we DESIRE SIN, it will rule us, if we give place to it, it will lead us astray. It's not a bad thing to sin per se because we sin every day in some manner if only by omission, it's a bad thing to have WILFUL SIN. In the 1000 year reign men will still sin, the only difference is they will not desire to sin but will sin by omission.

Once a person learns that as long as he DESIRES to be like unto Christ, and tries every day to transform himself from the OLD MAN unto the New Christ-like man, guilt should leave us. We should get up every day with the mission not to lie, not to be angry and frustrated with other humans who like us are born into sinful nature, we should desire every day to help lead others unto Christ by the LIGHT in our lives which people see, people sould DESIRE our Joy, our Peace, our Love, our Kindness. thus we have to BE JOYOUS ALWAYS, Kind always, loving always, considerate always, and honest always. This is what it means to be Christ-like.

We are born in sin and will be sinners until we shed this sinful flesh. But our spirit abides in Christ and should cry continually, Abba, Father, I want to be like you. Amen, Glory to God. Don't FOCUS on dodging sin sister, FOCUS on immersing yourself in Christ Jesus, be RENEWED every day by the Spirit, or be POOR IN SPIRIT, never getting enough of God in your life. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God. Never be satisfied with how much of the Spirit lives in you, let Him flood you with joy, peace, hope love, kindness, and honesty every day. Our goal should be to be as Christ-like as we can be, not to DODGE Sin, if we are Christ-like, Satan will flee.